JESSE LAVA
JESSE LAVA
Idealist.
Strategist.
Creator.
Turning Ideas Into Impact
When Jesse was five, he wrote to Ronald Reagan asking him to stop harming kids in Nicaragua. He used crayon, hoping cuteness would be persuasive. It wasn’t. But Jesse stayed idealistic. He stayed strategic. He stayed creative. And today, Jesse is an advocate and policymaker for the public good, with roots in strategic communications and a habit of building projects from scratch.
CONSULTING: LAVA PUBLIC IMPACT
Jesse is an advocacy architect who turns ideas into impact. Rooted in strategic communications, he integrates policy, stakeholder engagement, and programs, serving as a translator between worlds. He frequently creates initiatives from scratch.
Jesse spearheaded ~40 health & environmental laws in Chicago, started and led an award-winning national media campaign for criminal justice reform, managed a $150M/yr state of Illinois program providing healthcare and social services to 80K residents annually, and founded a national media center on faith in politics to contrast with the Religious Right. Jesse has ghostwritten hundreds of pieces, from op-eds to speeches to legislative testimonies. His approach to change is data-driven, emphasizing the need for outcomes, not just activity.
Services
Jesse serves mission-driven nonprofits and businesses through:
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Strategic Communications & Executive Ghostwriting
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Stakeholder Engagement & Coalition Building
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Advocacy & Campaign Planning
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Public & Government Affairs
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Social/Digital Campaign Strategy
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Training in Public Narrative & Framing
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Video concepting and scripting
CURRENT CLIENTS include organizations advancing violence prevention, solar power in Africa, and healing after a loved one's suicide.
CHARITY: LAVA IMPACT FUND
Jesse believes we are each part of a story far bigger than our own. He puts that belief into practice in part through the Lava Impact Fund, a new family philanthropy inspired by the call in Matthew 25 to lift up the communities of greatest need. Jesse serves as director, backing organizations that generate real outcomes, not just activity. The focus is on Chicagoans living in poverty and global populations facing extreme poverty or humanitarian crisis. At least 20% of Jesse's consulting revenue goes to the fund.
The fund is in the early stage of development as Jesse leads the family effort to establish the portfolio of recipients.
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Mental Health & Self-Formation
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Food & Nutrition
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Housing
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Refugee support
Priorities
COMING RECIPIENTS include Global Refuge, Common Pantry (Chicago), the People's Music School, and others.
CREATIVITY
Jesse is a maker of music, videos, and essays, among other things. He is animated by the belief that expressing oneself authentically doesn't just transmit information or produce enjoyment. It creates meaning. It enriches lives. It reveals a perspective on the world, thereby forging bonds that people might not even realized they've forged. That conviction — that bringing one's true self to life makes for a more connected world — runs through everything Jesse does.
Project Examples
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The Lava Brothers
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Music
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Videos
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Essays
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Book Reviews
CONTACT
Email me at jesselava@gmail.com,
use the form to the right, or
try me on LinkedIn: